The U.S.-Japan Rare Earth Framework: How History, Technology, and Strategy Interlock
The U.S.-Japan Rare Earth Framework: How History, Technology, and Strategy Interlock On October 28, 2025, in Tokyo, U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signed the "U.S.-Japan Policy Framework for Cooperation on Critical Minerals and Rare Earths" covering joint investment across mining, separation, refining, alloying, and magnet production, plus stockpile sharing, deep-sea R&D, and third-country project finance. [Reuters] [Reuters agenda] [Guardian] 1 | Where It Began — The Birth of the Neodymium Magnet In 1983, Japanese scientist Masato Sagawa showed that mixing neodymium, iron, and boron (Nd-Fe-B) creates an exceptionally strong permanent magnet, roughly an order of magnitude stronger than ferrite magnets — enabling smaller, lighter, and more efficient motors. [Nature 2023 overview] Around the same time, General Motor...